All commercial flights departing from the two large Belgian airports of Brussels-Zaventem and Charleroi are canceled on Tuesday due to a strike by security agents of the service company, we learned from the operating companies on Monday. The strike stems from a call for mobilization launched by a confederation of unions which wants to challenge the EU on the working conditions of “essential workers” cleaning, security and catering sectors.
A demonstration is planned for midday in Brussels, in the European institutions district. At Brussels-Zaventem, Belgium’s largest airport, the 249 flights initially planned are canceled, according to a spokesperson for the operating company Brussels Airport. Upon arrival, only 98 of the 243 flights scheduled for the day will be able to be operated, she said.
“Leveling down of working conditions”
It is the absence of baggage screening agents that prevents planes from taking off. These control operations at the two airports were entrusted to the same service provider, the British multinational G4S. In Charleroi, “the little hundred” flights initially planned are canceled, notably those of the low-cost airline Ryanair, which has made this Belgian site its main hub on the European continent. “On the other hand, we can ensure arrivals without problem, since there is no interaction with security agents”underlined Nathalie Pierard, spokesperson for Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA), contacted by AFP. The thousands of passengers affected by the cancellations will be contacted by their airline, assure Brussels Airport and BSCA.
Unions calling for protests say EU rules on public procurement “have fueled a race to the bottom in working conditions” cleaners, security guards and other catering staff. They are calling for these rules to be changed. The FGTB in Belgium and the CFDT in France are among the fifteen unions from several European countries which intend to challenge the EU on the subject, under the umbrella of the United Network International organization.
